Premium
Romanian judoka Andrea Chitu easily qualified for the round of 16 of the Olympic judo tournament, within the Tokyo Olympic Games, after she defeated Vietnamese Thuy Nguyen by ippon.
In the round of 16 she will meet Italian Odette Giuffrida (26 years of age), Olympic vice champion in 2016, European champion in 2020, bronze medallist in the World Championships in 2015 and 2016, agerpres.ro confirms.
"I knew the first match would not be so difficult, because the Vietnamese is not a well-known sportswoman. But now the second match is quite important, but now I am feeling ok, everything was fine. I was mentally focused, physically everything went as I planned. However, the next match is much more difficult. The Italian and I are opponents having competed in many matches against each other, but the past is the past, it is another edition of the Games, things are different,'' said Chitu after the first match she ended after one minute and 41 seconds of effective fight.
For Andreea Chitu, it can be a rematch match, after the elimination suffered in front of the Italian in the quarterfinals at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Chitu, 33, double world vice champion in 2015 and 2016, European champion in 2012, reached the round of 16 this year at the EC 2021, while Giuffrida won the silver.
